NaLu- Her Missing Pieces
by xx- CelestialMage -xx
Summary: Famous FairyTail Dragon slayer, Natsu Dragneel and his partner Happy, seek out on a quest with a young celestial mage, Lucy Heartfilia, to recover and restore the missing pieces of her soul, including the feelings of love. But what will Natsu do when he falls in love with a woman who may not ever be able to return his feelings...unless they restore her missing pieces. - NaLu -
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1- Split Soul**_

In the number one guild in Fiore, FairyTail, a fire dragon slayer stood, staring at the quest board with one hand running through his unique cherry blossom coloured hair, his other reaching for his white and black scaley scarf wrapped round his neck. His black, sleeveless, open vest revealed his muscular and tanned chest and his muscular arms. His red guild mark, branded on his right shoulder.

" Have you found one yet Natsu?" his small blue sidekick asked as he wondered over, nibbling on a fish.

" hmm…. nah. They're all too boring." the dragon slayer replied.

Natsu dragged his feet towards the bar where he sat and threw his head onto the counter with a grunt.

" What's wrong Natsu?" the barmaid , Mirajane , asked him.

" There's no good jobs for me and Happy to do." he whined

" A new one came in this morning, I haven't had a chance to put it up yet. Wanna have a look?" She asked waving the paper in her hand

"hmmm….guess so…" he took the paper and studied it. The job was to help a young woman find the remaining shards of a soul. A soul which had been shattered into 6 pieces ( 3 of which, had already been found and restored ) and scattered around the different towns in Fiore. The reward being 20,000 Jewels, Natsu pondered it. Happy hovered over Natsu's shoulder, reading the quest himself.

' Well…it's better than any job up there. We'll take it. " He said slamming the paper back on the table, grinning.

Mirajane took the paper back and smiled " Okay , I'll let the master know. Good luck!" the barmaid smiled as she waved the two off.

" I wonder who's soul it is.." the blue exceed said as he and Natsu walked to their home to pack.

" Beats me… but must be someone pretty important if they're asking Fairytail help…" the fire mage stroked his chin.

" Shouldn't we have asked Gray or Erza to come with us Natsu?"

" Hell no. I aint working with that stripper! And Ill pass working with Erza too… she scares the hell outta me sometimes…" Natsu shivered at the thought of the scarlet haired mage. " And anyway, ice princess and Erza went off on a job already. Something about helping clean up a town after a bad storm."

Happy sighed but laughed at his best friend. He knew if they got in any serious trouble, Natsu would get them out of it. He was the Salamander. A very very powerful fire dragon slayer who's fire punch was enough to burn down a village.

/ Later on that day, in an apartment on Strawberry Street /

A young blonde women sat on her soft bed, in the dark, running her hand through her silky blonde hair.

" I wonder if anyone has accepted the job yet…probably not… nobody would waste their time with something like that-" Before she finished her sentence, there was a knock at her door. She peered out the window, only to see a flying blue cat right at her window. The young woman screamed as she quickly shut the curtains, shaking. " W-what the hell.."

The blue cat flew back down to the door. " She screamed and shut the curtain Natsu..am I really scary…?" the exceed frowned.

" Nah. Not at all Happy. " Natsu grinned and patted Happy's head. " Is she gonna answer the door or what?" He said. Just then, the door burst open and a woman yelled.

" What the hell! Are you trying to give me a heart attack you stupid cat!" suddenly she noticed the young man with the cat and she suddenly hid behind the door.

" A-are you here to hurt me..?" she whimpered

Natsu raised his eyebrows at her sudden mood swing, " um…hurt you? Not at all. We're here to help you! Im Natsu Dragneel. Fire dragon slayer from Fairytail!" he grinned as the woman open the door a little more and a the pair saw her more clearly…A curvaceous, beautiful blonde stood in front of them, slightly trembling. Natsu awed at her.

" Hey are you alright..? You're shaking…" Natsu questioned, still admiring the beauty.

" S-sorry…the cat just scared me and I got mad… I didn't think my request would be answered…well at all." the blonde mumbled as she offered the pair to come in.

The three of them went to the blondes room, where Natsu and Happy perched on the couch while the blonde beauty sat opposite them.

" U-um…w-what's your names…?" she asked.

" Like I said before, Natsu Dragneel." the dragon slayer stated

" O-oh…sorry I must not have heard.." she turned to the blue cat. " what about you..?"

" Happy!" Happy cheered. Natsu laughed at Happy's enthusiasm and he turned back to the blonde. " What about you? What's your name?" He smiled as he asked.

" L-Lucy…Lucy Heartfilia. " she tried to muster a smile, but she just couldn't.

" Luigi?" Natsu teased

" LUCY!" Lucy yelled as Natsu laughed.

" I'm only teasing. Lucy huh? I like it. " He grinned. Something about him, made Lucy feel something unusual… He made her feel warm inside…

\- _what is this feeling he's giving me..? Is it a bad feeling..? I don't think so but.. I can't really tell right now._.- Lucy thought to herself.

Natsu stood up and stretched. " Well, we should get going. Lets start searching!"

" D-don't you need to hear more details about the job?!" Lucy asked

Natsu put his hands behind his head and smiled " Yeah, but I'll find out on the way. After all, we'll need something to talk about…" he paused " Plus I wanna get to know you on the way too " he rubbed his head and Lucy seemed confused.

" Anyway… let's go. IM ALL FIRED UP! " The dragon slayer fist pumped the air as Happy cheered.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Camping**_

" So…Tell me more about this soul thing? Who's is it and what happened? " Natsu asked Lucy as they walked to the train station.

" W-well the soul belongs to a young wizard…she was on a mission… a solo mission to defeat an evil mage who was stealing people's soul and shattering them, leaving the owners distraught and emotionless…once he was defeated she was to restore the souls he stole but…" Lucy stopped as she took a deep breath.

Natsu stopped, confused and looked at her.

" But..? " he pushed for the rest of the story while Happy flew over to Lucy. Their train had just arrived and was waiting for everyone to board.

" Lucy…? What's wrong? Was she close to you?" The exceed asked as they all boarded the train. Lucy shrugged.

" Something like that… I guess… but-". The blonde was cut off as a certain dragon slayer suddenly collapsed onto the train floor

" N-Natsu!? " She rushed to him as Happy sighed.

" He's okay… He just gets motion sickness… extreme motion sickness." Happy stated and the blonde sighed as she and Happy dragged Natsu to a seat and they threw him on the red cushioned seat.

" Doesn't he have anything for it?" Lucy asked

" Well, Wendy usually casts a Troia on him but she's on a job with Cana." he said

Lucy wondered if they're guild was as fun as everyone says. She wanted to join FairyTail when she was younger but her father forbade her.

" Are they your friends? From FairyTail? " Lucy asked as the sick dragon slayer groaned

" Yeah. Wendy is a dragon slayer like Natsu, but she's a sky dragon slayer. Theres also another one called Gajeel and he's an iron dragon slayer… He's got loads of piercings on his face… he doesn't even have eyebrows!" The blue cat exclaimed and he continued

" Theres also Mira who works at the bar and she super nice. She's a great singer too and she always makes me fish!" Happy's mouth watered at the thought of fish.

" Then theres Gray and Juvia… Gray is an ice mage and he always strips off no matter where he is or what he's doing. Him and Natsu always fight and then Erza stops them because they're scared of her" He laughed " …and Juvia is completely obsessed with Gray. She constantly clings to him… All she says is ' _Gray -Samaaaa!_ ' …She _liiiiikes_ him~". Happy rolled his tongue as he said the last sentence while giggling

" And then the whole guild gets into a brawl and tables fly everywhere and then Master gets mad but then we all have fun after ….Lucy..?" Happy looked at Lucy as she stared out the window, a tear falling down her face.

" Sorry…" She wipes her tear away and she sniffles. " It just sounds so fun… to have loads of friends and be able to have fun with them…Ill never know what that is like…I don't have friends …"

Natsu groaned again but he managed a sentence " W-we're your f-friends L-Lucy.." Happy nodded his head in agreement.

" Yeah we're your friends Lucy!" Lucy patted Happy's head as another tear fell down her face

" T-thank you guys…" she sniffled again.

~ _**2 hours later**_ ~

The train arrived in Hargeon station. Lucy and Happy ,once again, dragged Natsu off the train and onto the platform.

" Natsu~ We're here!" Happy tugged on the fire wizards pink hair as he suddenly sprang to his feet

" FINALLY! I HATE TRAINS!….and anything that moves…" Natsu stretched and turned to Lucy

" It's getting late , we should go find somewhere to stay… Would you rather set up camp or go to an inn?" Lucy asked

" Camp! Then we can go fishing and catch fish! " Happy's eyes sparkled and Natsu chuckled

" Camp it is then. Let's go! " The dragon slayer started walking towards a forrest to find a place to fish and to set up camp as Lucy and Happy followed.

They kept searching the forrest , with Natsu running ahead, for somewhere to set up. Lucy spotted something glinting in the corner of her eye.

" Hey, there's a lake. We can camp over there." She suggested as Natsu and Happy ran off towards the lake. Lucy trailed over. As the two best friends fished away, Lucy stepped into a cave, in front of the lake and set down her sleeping bag. She climbed into it and lay on her stomach, watching Natsu and Happy play around.

~ _**a while later**_ ~

" Hey Lucy, we caught and cooked some fish, you want some? " Natsu asked as he walked towards the cave

" Lucy? " He saw the blonde fast asleep. Natsu pulled her cover over her shoulders as he noticed her shivering. He lit a fire in his hand and sat next to her. Happy flew over and sat on Natsu's lap and curled up to sleep himself.

Natsu had just drifted off to sleep when he heard a loud crash. He sprung to his feet, letting Happy flop onto the floor.

" Natsuuuu! " Happy whined as he rubbed his eyes.

" I heard something… " Natsu looked out of the cave and looked back to Happy when he noticed something.

" _Where's Lucy?!_ "


	3. Chapter 3

_**Confessions**_

Natsu searched around the cave while Happy flew around outside looking for Lucy. In the cave Natsu felt a sense of magic coming from Lucy's sleeping bag. He walked over to it and peered under the pillow.

\- _It smells so good..._ \- He thought to himself as he noticed a small leather pouch like object. He picked it up and looked inside of it.

" Keys...? This is where that magic feeling is coming from... She didn't say anything about her being a mage..." he said as Happy suddenly came flying into his chest

" Natsu! T-there's a man outside! He's got Lucy!" Happy exclaimed as Natsu tucked the keys back under the pillow and bolted outside with Happy following him. They both stopped when they saw a hooded figure carrying an unconscious Lucy over his shoulder.

" Lucy! OI! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE YOU DOING!?" The dragon slayer yelled as he lit his hands on fire.

" Let her go now!" Natsu growled threw his fierce fang-like teeth. The hooded figure turned to face Natsu and Happy. His face covered by a skull mask. He started coming towards the fire mage and Natsu had a grave realisation.

\- _Shit. If I use my magic on this freak, I'll end up burning Lucy!-_ he thought and the fire mage desperately tried to think of another way to take the guy out.

But before he could think of anything, the hooded figure disappeared and suddenly appeared behind Natsu.

" What the-" before Natsu could finish his sentence, he was sent flying into the cave, hitting the back wall of the cave.

" NATSU!" Happy flew to Natsu's side as he coughed and spluttered. Natsu got an idea and he got up and bolted out to the mysterious man.

" FIRE DRAGONS FIST!" Natsu' right hand ignites in flames as he runs and punches the hooded figure in the gut. However he controls his flames enough not to burn Lucy. The mystery man lets go of Lucy as he is sent into the air from the impact of Natsu's punch. Natsu rushes over and he catches the still unconscious blonde.

" Happy! Take Lucy back to the cave!" The dragon slayer commanded as Happy rushed over and flew back to the cave with Lucy.

Natsu went over to the hooded figure, on the ground, and he throws another punch at him and grabs him by his shirt.

" Who the hell are you and what do you want with Lucy !?" he demanded and he pulls off the mask of the figure only to find himself looking into nothing.

" What the hell?!" Natsu throws the empty cloak and mask onto the floor.

" Where'd that freak go...ugh never mind that now...Lucy!" Natsu ran back to the cave to find Happy and Lucy sitting against the caves wall. Lucy with a blanket around her shoulders.

" Natsu! Is he gone? " Happy asked . Natsu nodded his head and replied

" Well he ain't here anymore so yeah. I chased him off! " He grinned and sat in front of them

" What did that creep want with you anyway? Are you hurt?" Natsu questioned Lucy as she shook her head

" N-no I'm okay..and I-I don't know...I've never seen him before." Lucy shivered and Natsu lit his hand on fire to create warmth for them. Happy crawled onto Lucy's lap and curled into a ball, falling asleep with Lucy stroking his head.

" Well you're safe now. I won't let no one hurt ya." Natsu grinned again. " Hey Lucy... I found something under your pillow earlier... When I was looking for you, I felt a sense of magic coming from your sleeping bag so I checked and I found some kind of keys... and um.. I guess I just wanted to ask...are you a mage? "

Lucy sighed and took a deep breath. " Y-yeah...I am... The only reason I couldn't stop that guy from before is cause I didn't have my keys..." She stated

" What kind of magic is that then? Oh I know! Unlocking things! Like secret doors and stuff! " Natsu seemed pleased with himself

" No you idiot!" Lucy sighed " It's celestial magic. I'm a celestial mage." she corrected him

" Ohhhh...What's that?" Natsu tilted his head in confusion

Lucy was getting impatient. " How could you not know this! You're a wizard yourself ! "

" Yeah but I don't pay attention to most things " He grinned once more and chuckled

" You got that right...anyway I can summon spirits from the celestial world. I have 10 golden zodiac keys which are extremely rare. There's 12 and I already have 10! I also have 5 silver keys. They're my friends...but I can't exactly have fun with them all...not at the same time anyway...I can summon more than one at a time but it drains my magic power..." She said

" ohh...we're your friends too remember! So what key guys do you have? " he asked

" They're not _key guys_ , they're spirits. And like I said I have 10 gold keys: Aquarius, Scorpio, Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn, Cancer, Aries, Loke, Gemini and Sagittarius. And I have 5 silver keys,: Nikora, well I call him Plue, Horologium, Crux, Lyra and Pyxis. " Lucy explained

" They're all amazing... They're always there for me when I need them... " She continued

" Wow. They sound so cool! Can I see one?" Natsu eagerly asked as he handed Lucy her keys.

" Um...sure. " Lucy takes out a silver key " I open thee, Gate of the Canis Minor, Nikora!" A soft golden light appears and a small white creature appears

" Pun-puuun~" It stumbles over to Lucy and she pats his head.

" Hello Plue!" she hugs the small creature.

" Um Lucy... I think it's broken..." Natsu says

" It is not! Look at him! How could you say that, He's so cute! " Lucy yells

" S-sorry..." Natsu stills chuckles to himself and another question comes to his mind.

" Also Lucy, I forgot to ask, but who's soul pieces are we actually looking for?" He asks and Lucy stays silent

" _Hellooo~ Lucyyyy_ ~" Natsu waves his hand in front of her face but he notices a tear go down her face.

"...I-it's mine..." she mumbles


	4. Chapter 4

_**Searching**_

Natsu couldn't say anything. He was shocked at Lucy's confession.

\- Come to think of it… I haven't seen her smile since we started this quest…-

" W-what happened…? H-how did it…" The fire mage couldn't believe it.

" I told you but I didn't finish…I thought I beat him but…he caught me off guard and stole my own soul…but…one of my spirits stopped him before he could finish the job…he shattered it but 3 pieces still remained inside of me…Fear, sadness and anger… he took my happiness, courage and…feelings of love…" Lucy explained as she held back tears.

Natsu looked down and he grabbed her hand.

" We'll restore them. I promise." He assured her as she cried. He pulled her into a warm embrace to calm her.

/ **The next day** /

Natsu and Lucy tried to forget about what happened the previous night as the walked in silence with Happy flying beside then, none the wiser.

" So…Where do we look? I'm thinking we should start in this forest…Seeing as we're here…" Natsu tried to break the silence and Lucy nodded her head.

" Okay…We can split up and look for anything weird. Shout as loud as you can if you find something or get into trouble. Be careful, Happy, Lucy." The dragon slayer went off in another direction and Happy and Lucy also separated.

- **With Lucy** -

" I can't believe I told him that stuff… And I can't believe he hugged me… " Lucy muttered to herself as she heard talking. She hid behind a tree and peered around to see who it was. She noticed three older wizards laughing around a fire. She went to take a closer look but a twig snapped under her boot.

" Huh? Who's there?!" One of them shouted as the other to moved towards her.

Lucy reached for her keys, but she found herself frozen. Too scared to do anything.

" We can see you girly! " another shouted at her with aggression. She thought about shouting Natsu but she grabbed one of her keys.

" I have to do this…maybe I don't have courage but I have to try! " Lucy mumbled

She took a deep breath .

" I open thee, Gate of the Lion, Leo!" A golden glow appears around her and the key and an orange haired male, wearing a black suit and red tie along with a pair of sunglasses, appeared.

" Yo, Lucy. Bout time you summoned me. What can I do for you my princess. " Leo flirted with Lucy.

" J-just take them down! " Lucy commanded and the male agreed,

" Of course my lady…Regulas…IMPACT!". Leo punched the two nearest wizards and knocked them away immediately, without effort.

" You're next " Leo growled as the last wizard looked horrified and he tried to run but the celestial spirit grabbed him by the shirt.

" L-Let me go! I-I won't do anything I promise! " The wizard begged.

" Damn right you won't. Regular….IMPACT!" Despite the wizards pleas, Leo sent him flying over the many trees in the forrest.

" T-thanks Leo…" Lucy thanked the spirit

" Anything for you, my fair lady…" Leo kneeled down and kissed Lucy's hand

" You can go back now!" Lucy yelled as another golden glow appeared and the spirit faded .

" Geez…overtime…such a flirt" the blonde sighed and carried on her way.


	5. Chapter 5

_**/ Aghhh my apologies! I've been extremely caught up in stuff hence why this chapter is very VERY late! However I will be uploading the next few chapters today to make up for it! Enjoy the next few chapters! 3/**_

 _ **Mysterious Mage**_

Meanwhile, Natsu wandered through a darker part of the forest, despite it being morning, it was pretty dark. . He noticed he had been a little off guard, especially the previous night. He knew he was a deep sleeper yet, if danger was near it always seemed to awaken him.

' Maybe he cast some sort of spell or something...' the dragon slayer pondered as he looked around the trees and bushes. Natsu had something else on his mind too though- he couldn't stop thinking about the blonde mage. Why was he so worked up over this? Usually a quest is a quest, nothing more yet it felt different to him this time. She made him feel different...he felt something he never had before...The fire mage stopped and he looked up, sniffing the air.

" This scent...I recognise it..." the mage ran towards where the scent was coming from, stopping in front of hooded figure- the same one from the previous night. Natsu felt his body fill with rage as he lit his hands in fire.

" You...What are you doing here?!" the dragon slayer yelled as he took a stance while the figure turned around, the same skull musk and cloak as before. He spoke with a deep and grim voice that was enough to send chills down your spine.

" Natsu...Dragneel...Dragon Slayer...of FairyTail." he grunted and laughed

" I've heard a lot about you...I'd never expect a reckless yet powerful mage to fall so easily..." he chuckled once more much to Natsu's annoyance.

" The hell are you talking about you creep?! I ain't falling nowhere!" he bared his fang like teeth as he swung at him.

" FIRE DRAGONS FIST!" the dragon slayer yelled as his fiery fist made contact with the mans gut, the flames lighting up the dark area. Natsu followed his own attack with yet another - " ROAR OF THE FIRE DRAGON!" a blast of flames escaped from Natsu's mouth in the mysterious mage's direction, knocking him through the air, crashing down into a fallen tree.

The Dragon Slayer stormed over as the hooded mage groaned.

" A-Aren't you interested in what I've got to say?" he grunted to which the fire mage merely responded

" Why should I be. I don't care what you got to say, all I care about is why you tried to harm Lucy last night!" Natsu growled as the man chuckled again.

" You seem pretty worked up fire boy...Why don't you just chill out " suddenly, a blast was thrown at Natsu, catching the salamander off guard. It knocked him down into a thick tree and the man laughed as he stalked over, mumbling something to himself.

" Y-You bastard...huh..? I-I can't move!" Natsu exclaimed as he looked down, noticing that his ankles were wrapped tightly in some sort of shadowy force, as were his wrists, forbidding any sort of movement. He tried to burn through it however it didn't have any effect.

' My magic...it can't burn through this shit?!' The fire mage thought as he bared his teeth. " Oi...what're you playing at?! " he growled.

The man chuckled coldly as he tugged on Natsu's hair.

" Maybe now you will listen to what I have to say...My name is Kaito and I'm just trying to do my job...but I have brats like you who keep getting in my way...the last person who tried to interfere paid half the price...now I'm going to make sure she clears her debt." he chuckled as Natsu tried to struggled against the shadow restraints.

" You ain't getting anywhere near Lucy! I'll make sure of that !" he growled at Kaito. Natsu still had no idea who the wizard was, he'd never heard of anyone called Kaito before now. There was one thing that was still on Natsu's mind

" You said you'd never expect a guy like me to fall easily...what do you mean by that ? Fall from where? " The dragon slayer asked as Kaito face palmed

" You seriously didn't get what I meant?" he groaned

" Nope. " Natsu replied

" You aren't falling from anywhere...I meant that I never expected you to fall for SOMEONE so easily..." he explained however Natsu was still puzzled

" Who am I falling for? Where am I falling from and why for them? " the pink haired mage questioned further much to Kaito's irritation.

" ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! For someone as powerful as you...you have no brains whatsoever...though you thought you could beat me so that makes sense..." he sighed as he rubbed his hooded head.

" I COULD BEAT YOU IN A HEARTBEAT YOU MASKED CREEP!" Natsu yelled as he paused- he could smell something. ' Lucy!' he thought as he glared back at Kaito.

" I suppose I better get on with my work...for now but don't think you're relieved of me. I'll be back... maybe by then you'll have realised who you've unconsciously fallen in love with..." he chuckled as he slowly faded away. As Kaito disappeared, so did the shadowy restraints, freeing Natsu.

' I've fallen... in love...but with who...?' Natsu thought as he noticed something on the floor, not far from him. He wandered over and he picked it up gently. It was a small heart that glowed green.

" Could this be...?" he grinned and he spun around, running towards the camp they'd set up. The dragon slayer stopped as he spotted a familiar blue cat along with a beautiful blonde. Natsu felt his heart jump slightly as he spotted them and he realised...

" Lucy! Happy! I've got something!" he held up the heart as they reunited.

" You've found one! " Lucy exclaimed as the heart suddenly disappeared from Natsu's hand, and a glow came from Lucy. Both Nastu and Happy were confused however when the glow died down, Lucy stood with a big smile on her face.

" Happiness... I-I feel... Happy! I feel happy!" she had tears in her eyes and she embraced Nastu, causing him to blush yet he still smiled. The blue exceed noticed his best friends blush and grinned.

" Natsu's blushing... _He liiiiiiikes her_ ~" he rolled his tongue as Natsu blushed more

" H-Happy!" he exclaimed as Lucy let go, laughing at the two as Happy continued to tease. She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed or had been happy...but it felt great.


	6. Chapter 6

The trio went back to the camp they set up. Natsu thought about what Kaito had said as he watched Happy and Lucy laugh at something they were talking about. He sat on a rock, his head in his hands as he tried to figure it out.

' Surely it's not...is it..? ' he thought as he ran his hand through his spikey hair. He smiled as he looked back up at the two as Lucy turned around and smiled at him, making Natsu blush.

" Are you okay Natsu?" the blonde mage asked to which he just nodded.

" Yeah, I'm good. How are you feeling?" the dragon slayer asked as Happy flew over, landing on his lap.

" I feel great. I can't remember the last time I've been happy or laughed..." she smiled as her cheeks turned pink.

Natsu smiled and stroked Happy's head gently as he looked up at the celestial mage.

" I'm glad you're happy now...I-I mean you seem like a good person and all...you deserve to be happy.." he turned his head away to hide his blush however Lucy blushed along with him as she sat down next to him.

For a while, there was silence between them until Lucy broke it.

" Is it fun being in a guild...?" the blonde mage asked as she looked at the pink haired dragon slayer.

" Yeah! It's great! You get loads of friends and meet loads of cool and weird people!" he grinned as he began explaining some of his friends and the funny memories they have.

" It sounds like great fun...I would love to have things like that...lots of friends, fun memories...a family..." Lucy mumbled as she sighed and looked at the ground. The dragon slayer looked at her and an idea came to his head.

" Hey Luce...you're a celestial mage right?...Well come with us after we find the rest of the pieces! Join FairyTail!" Natsu exclaimed with his signature grin. " It'll be great fun! You can meet everyone and we can be a team and go on fun jobs!"

" I-I want to...but...my Father forbade me from joining FairyTail..." she explained with a sigh

" You should be free to do whatever you want! Come on, come back with us when this job is over and trust me, you'll never regret it!" he placed his warm hand on her dainty shoulder as she looked up at him with a smile.

" Okay! I'll do it!"

 **~ a while later ~**

Lucy sat on the grass writing into a notepad, lost in the story she was writing, while Natsu and Happy teased each other. The two were so lively all the time, it was a mystery as to how they kept all this energy.

" You like Carla! You can't hide it from me Happy!" the dragon slayer yelled as he laughed at his little blue partner.

" I do not! " Happy protested as he tried to hide his blush.

" You do so! I see you all the time trying to give her fish " Natsu chuckled while rubbing Happy's head.

" Yeah well I see you, all the time, looking at Lucy when she isn't looking!" the exceed put his paws on his waist, proud of his comeback as Natsu's face turned the same colour as his hair.

" I-I do not do that!" he looked over at the said mage, making sure she wasn't listening.

" You're doing it right now." Happy laughed and Natsu swung his head back round to look at Happy

" E-even if I did like her it wouldn't work..." he mumbled. How could someone return his feelings if they don't have the piece that controls their own feelings. It simply wouldn't work...would it?

" It could still work Natsu...maybe when we find that piece...it would work." The little blue cat tried to comfort his best friend.

Natsu looked at Happy, patting his head and giving him a soft smile. " Yeah...I hope so Happy..." Happy smiled. He had never seen Natsu look so distant before, thats how he knew he definitely liked Lucy. What else could it be?

" Come on...We should get some rest Happy. Back to searching tomorrow." Natsu stood up as he went towards Lucy.

" Hey Luce, we're gonna get some sleep. You should get some rest too." the dragon slayer smiled as Lucy looked at him, nodding.

" Yeah. You're right...I'm coming " she smiled and stood up as they went back to the cave. The blonde mage slid into her sleeping bag as did Natsu and Happy. Lucy and Happy fell asleep in no time, however it took Natsu a while before being able to shut his overactive mind down.

The next day was chaos. The three had been searching everywhere for anything. They had moved town ,after searching Hargeon, to the kingdom of Stella. It was a beautiful place but the three barely had a chance to take the kingdoms beauty in. By the time they set up camp in the forrest, it was already nightfall.

Lucy felt hopeless. She knew it would be difficult to find anything but they had been searching for three days and they had only found one piece. The beautiful blonde sat on the forrest floor, hugging her knees. The dragon slayer noticed her glum mood and he approached her.

" Hey Luce...want to meet me later on? I want to talk.." he chuckled a little as he rubbed his head, waiting for her response. Lucy nodded her head, without looking at him, she mumbled.

" Yeah...sure."

" Great! Um...meet me down there" he pointed towards a group of trees. " I'll wait over there. I'm gonna search a little more just now so you and Happy can rest." Natsu smiled as he ran off, leaving Happy and Lucy at their camp.

The little blue exceed had also noticed the blonde's mood. He trailed over, tugging on her arm.

" Lucy? Are you okay?" he asked worriedly. Lucy looked down at him and she smiled warmly, patting his head.

" Yeah...I'm okay Happy." she smiled as Happy nuzzled his head into her warm hand.

" Don't worry...Natsu will make sure we find them all..." he said trying to comfort her. Lucy nodded and looked up at the dark and cloudy sky.

" I know..."


End file.
